1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a transport device for loading and unloading the trunk space of a motor vehicle, wherein the device comprises at least one transport belt which is movably located on the bottom of the trunk space and at least two rollers for guiding the transport belt which moves around the rollers.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional transport device consisting of a transport belt which moves around two rollers is known from published German Patent Application DE 197 09 114 A1. These transport belts are designed for installation in the cargo space of a station wagon, a pickup, a bus, a truckster or a trailer to increase its cargo capacity and for easier loading and unloading of bulky cargo. One such one-piece transport belt, which is not equipped with deflection mechanisms, ends on the front and back termination of the cargo space, especially the floor of the cargo space. This results in the disadvantage that, for example, in motor vehicles with a tailgate which folds down, the cargo to be loaded must first be lifted over the area of the tailgate without the transport belt in order to reach the actual transport belt in the cargo space of the motor vehicle.
Published German Patent Application DE 199 04 714 A1 discloses a motor vehicle in which a transport belt is located on the bottom of the trunk space and another transport belt is located in the backrest of a seat which is located in front of the trunk space and which can be folded forward.
One object of the present invention is to overcome the disadvantages and shortcomings of the prior art.
Another object of the invention is to provide a transport device for loading and unloading the trunk space of a motor vehicle with expanded functionality.
The above objects along with other objects are achieved by providing a transport device for loading and unloading the trunk space of a motor vehicle having a vehicle part located adjacent the trunk space and capable of being pivoted into a horizontal position, comprising at least one transport belt movably located on a bottom of the trunk space and at least two rollers for guiding the at least one movable transport belt, wherein the at least one transport belt is located on the bottom of the trunk space and on a top surface of the vehicle part positioned adjacent to the bottom of the trunk space and capable of being swiveled.
By providing another transport belt on the top of a tailgate which is adjacent to the cargo surface and which can be swivelled into the horizontal position, the present invention advantageously provides an enlarged surface that can be used for comfortable loading and unloading and as a stowage space while driving. When the tailgate is opened down, the transport belt for loading the cargo can be easily reached since, as a result of the arrangement of the transport belt on the top of the tailgate, the transport belt can extend to the rear terminating edge of the tailgate and thus of the entire vehicle.
In a first embodiment, there is a common transport belt both on the floor of the trunk space and also on the top of the tailgate so that the two portions of the common transport belt lie in one plane when the tailgate is opened. This advantageously results in a construction which enables a smooth transition from the portion of the transport belt on the tailgate to the portion of the transport belt on the trunk floor.
In a second embodiment, in addition to the transport belt mounted on the trunk floor, there is a second transport belt on the top of the tailgate. This embodiment avoids the susceptibility to defects in the construction of the first embodiment, since two short transport belts are easier to manage than one long transport belt which must follow the swiveling of the tailgate when it is opened and closed.
Both the first embodiment with a continuous transport belt and also the second embodiment with separate transport belts can also be combined in conjunction with another transport belt which is located on the backrest of a seat which borders the cargo space. This additional transport belt can likewise be made as a separate transport belt or as a continuous transport belt in an extension of the transport belt which covers the floor of the cargo space. With the seat back folded down, loads located on the cargo bed can be moved forward more easily using the transport belt and also can be retrieved again.
To guide the transport belt or the transport belts, there are various rollers which can be elastically supported to advantageously tension the transport belt/transport belts and act as a part of the drive device for driving the transport belts.
By an arrangement of several transport belts, instead of one, which run parallel in one plane, it is possible to mount attachment means between the belts for fixing the cargo on the trunk bottom or on the inside of the tailgate and/or on the back of the pertinent seat back. Therefore, the transport belt(s) function of specifically facilitating loading and unloading of the cargo, is coupled to the function of the attachment means of specifically fixing the cargo within the trunk space.
By means of a license number plate located in the end area of the tailgate which is pivoted down, together with the tail lights, it is possible to move the motor vehicle in a manner safe for traffic even in the loaded state with the tailgate opened.